Exclusive Interview: Lily Collins on The Mortal Instruments

What was it like to actually be in the Hotel Dumort set or the nightclub set?

Oh my gosh, the Hotel Dumort set was for me, we shot in an old real decrepit hotel. It was leaky, it was dirty, it was literally how it is in the books. So we shot there all nights, so it was like two, three, four in the morning, freezing. But it was fun. How often do you get to kick butt in a vampire hotel?

 

Where was the hotel?

It was in Toronto but just outside of it. It was dirty.

 

Does Clary learn to fight by the end of the first movie?

Yes, she’s fighting midway through I think. She’s fighting midway through. She shows major potential midway through and it only gets more and more as the story goes on.

 

Do you hope to get to show her fully able to fight and kick butt in the next one?

Oh yeah, for as long as they’ll have me playing Clary I will be as dedicated to the stunts as possible. I love it. As much as I can kick ass, I will.

 

There was a little in Mirror Mirror, right?

Yeah, and it was the same stunt department as well which is great. I knew them very well, got used to them and it was an introduction to fight coordinating and stunt work in Mirror Mirror but this was an entrance in a different way.

 

It’s only been three years since The Blind Side but does it feel like this is your job now, you’re an established actor?

It’s funny. When they say, “What do you do?” I love acting. I find it weird sometimes to say, “I’m an actor” because I enjoy photography, I enjoy cooking. There are so many things that I enjoy that putting it as a job seems a little weird sometimes. I do definitely feel lucky to be working as much as I am, but when you put it like that, when you put a title on it, it’s a little strange.

 

Are you able to balance these big productions with smaller films too?

Yeah, I have two independent films coming out this summer, Stuck in Love and The English Teacher. I started doing independents just last year. I had never had an experience on a set like that. The fast paced nature of it and the way that they work differently than big budget films was really interesting to me and I love the camaraderie that you have on a set like that.

 

Did those films play any festivals yet?

Yes, Stuck in Love used to be called Writers and that premiered at TIFF. The English Teacher is premiering at Tribeca.

 

Are you going to go for that?

I can’t. I’m going to be in England, in Dublin shooting a movie.

 

What’s the next movie?

It’s called Love, Rosie and I play a British girl who ages from 17 to 28 and has a child. It’s set as a romantic comedy but there’s a lot of heart there, a lot of drama.

 

What would be your dream role at this point?

I’d still love to do a British period piece. I still would love to do that, and a full-blown comedy.

 

Do you get those sorts of offers?

I’m still fighting for roles. I’m auditioning. I’m meeting with people about things. I’m always open to whatever type of genre that comes my way, but I’m prepared to fight for roles.

 

How do you fight for a role if there’s something they maybe don’t want to see you for?

I try to get in that room and audition. You’ve got to audition. If people don’t see you one way, you have to try to show them that you can be that. I’m prepared to do that.

 

Is it strange to you that kids might be watching Mirror Mirror and The Blind Side now and you’re in their homes?

It’s very, very sweet when little girls come up to me, or when people come up and say that they’ve liked a film or that they’ve watched it with their family and been happy and laughed. That, to me, if I can help make people a part of a story, that’s what I enjoyed most about being little was that I was taken into another world. 


Fred Topel is a staff writer at CraveOnline and the man behind Shelf Space Weekly. Follow him on Twitter at @FredTopel.

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